Francis Strother Lyon (February 25, 1800 – December 31, 1882) was a prominent

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

attorney and politician. He served two terms in the

Confederate States Congress The Confederate States Congress was both the provisional and permanent legislative assembly of the Confederate States of America that existed from 1861 to 1865. Its actions were for the most part concerned with measures to establish a new nat ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

after being an

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum ...

member of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

Early life

Lyon was born in Stokes County, North Carolina, the son of James Lyon and Behetheland Gaines Lyon. He was a nephew of General

Edmund Pendleton Gaines Edmund Pendleton Gaines (March 20, 1777 – June 6, 1849) was a career United States Army officer who served for nearly fifty years, and attained the rank of major general by brevet. He was one of the Army's senior commanders during its format ...

and Col. George Strother Gaines, prominent figures in Alabama history. Lyon moved to

Marengo County, Alabama Marengo County is a county located in the west central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,323. The largest city is Demopolis, and the county seat is Linden. It is named in honor of the Battle of ...

, in 1817 to live with his uncle George Gaines and was admitted to the bar in 1821. His primary residence was at

Bluff Hall Bluff Hall is a historic residence in Demopolis, Alabama, United States. The original portion of the house is in the Federal style with later additions that altered it to the Greek Revival style. It was documented as part of the Historic Ameri ...

Demopolis Demopolis is the largest city in Marengo County, in west-central Alabama. The population was 7,162 at the time of the 2020 United States census, down from 7,483 at the 2010 census. The city lies at the confluence of the Black Warrior River and T ...

, with a country estate nearby at

Bermuda Hill Bermuda Hill, also known as the Liver House, is a historic plantation house in Hale County, Alabama, near Prairieville, Alabama. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 7, 1994, as a part of the Plantation Houses of the ...

. Lyon was secretary of the State Senate from 1822 to 1830, and then served in the

Alabama State Senate The Alabama State Senate is the upper house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alabama. The body is composed of 35 members representing an equal number of districts across the state, with each district conta ...

from 1833 to 1834. He represented Alabama's Fifth District in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from 1835 to 1839. From 1845 to 1853, Lyon served as a commissioner in charge of administering the bankrupt state banking system.

Civil War

At the start of the Civil War, he served in the Alabama State House of Representatives in 1861. Lyon then represented Alabama in the

First Confederate Congress The 1st Confederate States Congress, consisting of the Confederate States Senate and the Confederate States House of Representatives, met from February 18, 1862, to February 17, 1864, during the first two years of Jefferson Davis's presidency, a ...

and the

Second Confederate Congress The 2nd Confederate States Congress, consisting of the Confederate States Senate and the Confederate States House of Representatives, met from May 2, 1864, to March 18, 1865, during the last year of Jefferson Davis's presidency, at the Virginia ...

from 1862 to 1865.

Postbellum

Following the collapse of the Confederacy in the spring of 1865, Lyon eventually returned home and resumed his legal career. He was elected as a delegate to the 1875 Alabama constitutional convention and was elected to the State Senate again in 1876. Lyon died in Demopolis, Alabama, and was buried there in Riverside Cemetery's

Glover Mausoleum The Glover Mausoleum, also known as the Glover Vault, is a Greek Revival mausoleum located within the Riverside Cemetery in Demopolis, Marengo County, Alabama. It houses the remains of local plantation owner, Allen Glover, his first wife (Dann ...

. His daughter, Ida Ashe Lyon (1845-1912), married physician

William Mecklenburg Polk William Mecklenburg Polk (15 August 1844 – 1918) was an American physician. Biography He was the son of Leonidas Polk, born at Ashwood, Maury Co., Tenn. He served in the Confederate army under his father during the Civil War, advancing f ...

, and was the mother of

Frank Polk Frank Lyon Polk (September 13, 1871 – February 7, 1943) was an American lawyer and diplomat, who was also a name partner of the law firm today known as Davis Polk & Wardwell. Early life Polk was born in New York City. He was the son of W ...

, who served as counselor to the Department of State through World War One and later became the first US

Under Secretary of State Under Secretary of State (U/S) is a title used by senior officials of the United States Department of State who rank above the Assistant Secretaries and below the Deputy Secretary. From 1919 to 1972, the Under Secretary was the second-ranking off ...

References

Retrieved on 2009-04-14
Political Graveyard

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lyon, Francis Strother 1800 births 1882 deaths People from Stokes County, North Carolina National Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama Members of the Confederate House of Representatives from Alabama Democratic Party members of the Alabama House of Representatives Democratic Party Alabama state senators People from Demopolis, Alabama Alabama lawyers 19th-century American lawyers